Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Taipei City Fire Department (TCFD) organized a ceremony celebrating its 15th year of founding on July 9. During the event, the agency also unveiled its second generation 119 Crime Reporting Hotline for individuals with speech impairments.
The new 119 hotline allows for speaking-impaired callers to report crimes or seek help through the Internet, cell phones, or other digital device. The crime reporting system for speaking impaired individuals is the only one of its kinds in the nation.
During his speech, the mayor praised the staff of TCFD for helping disadvantaged people and helping to protect the lives and properties of residents. Over the past 15 years, the department had countless achievements including a substantial drop in the number of reported fires – from 936 cases in the year of the department’s founding to 116 cases during the first half of 2010. Furthermore, only three out of the 116 cases reached “disaster” level in terms of fire severity.
The mayor pointed out that a truly “safe society” can only be achieved when residents are confident that their properties and lives are well protected. On behalf of residents, he expressed his gratitude to TCFD and hopes the firefighters can work on honing their skills, serving as the public’s “trusted partner”.
Hau also presented the awards to 97 recipients who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in the areas of firefighting and emergency rescue. Sue Wang, hearing-impaired fashion model and spokesperson of the newly inaugurated hotline, was also among the group of individuals honored at the event.